Wednesday, 27 October 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_azV_82gsA
from your best student, Claudia Carvalho
an ex student of teacher Ligia Silvia
Moments
Saturday, 23 October 2010
"When I will be with you at the end of the day, you will see my scars, then you will know that I was hurted and I was also healed."
António Moreira
MTV Exit and Muse against Human traffic
Saturday, 16 October 2010
As you all know I am a big fan of MTV’s commercials. Not only are they fun as they also have a very strong message about a lot of important social issues such as discrimination, human traffic, poverty, sex, war, disease, environment, politics and education. This time MUSE and MTV Exit get together to produce this amazing awareness music video.
"Some things cost more than you realise"
I hope you like it :)
Daniela
Discovering Ghana
Thursday, 14 October 2010
Searching for an English speaking country is, indeed, a very hard task. I could have never imagined in how many countries English is an official language. In the end I chose Ghana. The Republic of Ghana is a West African country. It caught my attention because the word Ghana means “Warrior King”.
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| Independence Arch |
Ghana was one of the British colonies but the country asserted its complete independence in 1960. The Portuguese people came to Ghana in the 15th century because of the extensive availability of gold.
Its flag has the colors red, gold, green and a black star. The red represents the blood that was shed towards independence, the gold represents the mineral wealth of Ghana, the green symbolizes the rich agriculture and the black star is the symbol of African emancipation.
Although Ghana has twice the per capita output of the poorer countries in West Africa, it remains dependent on trade and international assistance and its population lives below the international poverty line. This kind of phenomenon only happens because the economic growth doesn’t necessarily means human development. Nevertheless Ghana has amazing landscapes.
Ghana is an ethnically diverse country which is evident through its cuisine, arts and clothing. Ghana is also well-known by its sports. While men’s football is the most widely followed sport, the national women’s team, the Black Queens, is gaining exposure.
I hope you have learnt something about this country :)
Daniela
Nigeria
Nigeria
The Federal Republic of Nigeria, mostly known as Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. There are three large and influential ethnic groups in Nigeria: the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba and in terms of religion Nigeria is roughly split half and half between Muslims and Christians with a very small minority who practices traditional religion.(what is this traditional religion?)Portuguese explorers were the first Europeans to begin trade in Nigeria; the Europeans traded with the ethnicities of the coast and also negotiated a trade in slaves, to the detriment and profit of many Nigerian ethnicities. Slavery was finally outlawed in northern Nigeria in 1936.
On January 1, 1901 Nigeria became part of the British Empire; many wars against subjugation had been fought by the states of what later became Nigeria against the British Empire in the late 19th and early 20th century.
In 1914, the Niger area was formally united as the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria. Administratively, Nigeria remained divided into the northern and southern provinces and Lagos colony. Western education and the development of a modern economy proceeded more rapidly in the south than in the north, with consequences felt in Nigeria's political life ever since. The unification became the beginning of Nigeria’s independence which was declared and recognized on October the 1st of 1960 and on its third anniversary it became a republic.
Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, the eighth most populous country in the world and the most populous country in the world in which the majority of the population is black. It is listed among the "Next Eleven" economies (the “Nest Eleven” economies consists of 11 countries that are considered to have the high potential of becoming the world's largest economies in the 21st century) and is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. Nigeria as only one official language: English, even though it is estimated that there are more that 500 languages spoken in the country. It’s also the third country with more native speakers of English.
Andreia Pinto
The Bahamas
Wednesday, 13 October 2010
Search of one country with english as a foreign language?.
Country: The Bahamas
The Bahamas is an North American country, where the official language is English.
In 1942 Christopher Columbus set out to explore the New World. That’s when he arrived to San Salvador, one of the islands of the Bahamas. After he observed how plain the ocean was in there he said “baja mar”, and that’s when the islands where called “The Bahamas”.
The Bahamas have more than 700 islands, so it become a great place to hide treasures. A lot of ships full of gold sink ? around there.
Many histories about pirates and their adventures give some mystic to the Bahamas.
One of the most interesting traditions of these islands is that the crowd /people from the Bahamas still use plants as a cure for many diseases. It’s a tradition that African slavers bring to this (plural) people.
By Cláudia Carvalho 12ºA
The Commonwealth
The Commonwealth of Nations,, is an intergovernmental organization of fifty-five independent member states. The Commonwealth was first officially formed in 1931.
The member states co-operate within a framework of common values and goals as outlined in the Singapore Declaration.
These include the promotion of democracy, human rights, good governance, the rule of law, individual liberty, egalitarianism, free trade, multilateralism and world peace.
The symbol of their free association is the Head of the Commonwealth, which is a ceremonial position currently held by Queen Elizabeth II.
Some members; United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Jamaica...
These countries have in common are all former colonies of the British Empire.
These countries have in common are all former colonies of the British Empire.
I hope you all enjoy!
Hugo Queiros
Australia....
Australia ,officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
On 1 January 1901, the six colonies became a federation and the Commonwealth of Australia. Australia ranks highly in many international comparisons of national performance such as human development, quality of life, health care, life expectancy, public education, economic freedom and the protection of civil liberties and political rights.
Australia continued to recognize the monarch of United Kingdom as head of state. Because of the continent's great age, extremely variable weather patterns, and long-term geographic isolation, much of Australia's biota is unique and diverse. About 85% of flowering plants, 84% of mammals, more than 45% of birds, and 89% of in-shore, temperate-zone fish are endemic. Australia has the greatest number of reptiles of any country, with 755 species. 
Hugo Queiros
All Blacks
Sport has a major role in New Zealand's culture, with the unofficial national sport of rugby union being particularly influential.
Rugby union, commonly referred to as rugby, is closely linked to the country's national identity. The All Blacks represent New Zealand in rugby union, which is regarded as the country's national sport. They won the inaugural Rugby World Cup, are the leading points scorers of all time and the only international rugby team with a winning record against every test nation they have ever played. They have the highest win ratio of 75 percent and rank as the number one team in the world for the most period of time in IRB World Rankings. Only 5 of the top 20 ranked rugby union test nations have ever beaten New Zealand in over 100 years of international competition.
The All Blacks perform a haka (Māori challenge) before each international match. The haka has been closely associated with New Zealand rugby ever since a tour of New South Wales in 1884. The New Zealand native team that toured Britain in 1889/89 used Ake Ake Kia Kaha and the 1903 team in Australia used a mocking haka, Tupoto koe, Kangaru!. The 1905 All Blacks began the tradition of using Ka Mate and by 1914 this was firmly established as part of New Zealand rugby. The 1924 All Blacks used a specially composed haka Kia Whaka-ngawari, but later All Blacks reverted back to Ka Mate.
Miguel Amaral
New Zealand
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New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean. It is composed by two main Islands (the North Island and the South Island), and numerous smaller islands, most notably Steward Island/Rakiura and the Chatam Islands. The indigenous Māori language1 name for New Zealand is Aotearoa , commonly translated as land of the long white cloud. The Realm of New Zealand also includes the Cook Islands and Niue (self-governing but in free association); Tokelau; and the Ross Dependency (New Zealand's territorial claim in Antarctida). New Zealand’s capital city is Wellington and it is located south of North Island.
New Zealand is notable for its geographic isolation: it is situated about 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) southeast of Australia across the Tasman Sea. During its long isolation New Zealand developed a distinctive fauna dominated by birds, a number of which became extinct after the arrival of humans and the mammals they introduced.
The majority of New Zealand's population is of European descendent; the indigenous Māori are the largest minority. Asians and non-Māori Polynesians are also significant minority groups, especially in urban areas.
The most commonly spoken language is English but they also speak Māori.
New Zealand is a developed country that ranks highly in international comparisons on many topics, including education, economic freedom and lack of corruption. Its cities also consistently rank among the world's most liveable.
1 Māori or te reo Māori is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori, where it has the status of an official language.
Miguel Amaral
Canada
Canada is by most known by it's Red and white flag with the maple leaf on the center. The national anthem is "O Canada", the motto is " From sea to sea", it's capital is Ottawa and the prime minister is Stephen Harper.
Canada is also the second largest country in the world, it has a population of about 34 000 000 and there are six time zones!
Canada is located in the North American continent and it's surrounded by the United States of America (south) and three oceans, the Pacific (west), the Atlantic (east) and the Arctic (north).
Canada has the longest coastline, about one fourth of all fresh water and one tenth of forests of the world.
Mount Logan is the tallest mountain and Mackenzie River is the country's largest River.
The first residents were Aboriginal people but Canada was named by the French explorer Jacques Cartier and the name "Canada" becomes/ comes from the word "kanata" that means Village (in a native language).
Nowadays about 77 per cent of Canadians live in cities and towns, in the southern part of Canada, like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver that are also the largest cities.
Canadian's main sports are Ice hockey and Lacrosse (as the summer sport).
Canadians invented bowling, basketball and the the useful snowmobile.
Canada National tower or CN tower in 2006 had the title of world's tallest building with 553 meters.
Miguel Pedro
South Africa
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
The Rainbow Nation
A wide variety of cultures, languages and religious beliefs make up the South Africa’s population, 47 million people.
Eleven official languages are recognized in the constitution. Two of these languages descend from Europe dialects: Afrikaans, which was originated mainly from Dutch, is spoken by the majority of both white and colored South Africans, and South African English which descends from British. Though English has a large role in public and commercial life, it is nevertheless only the fifth most spoken language.
South Africa is ruled by a Constitutional Democracy, which doesn’t mean social development. A quarter of the population is unemployed and lives on less than US $1.25, and two quarters are non official employers. Poverty, racism, illiteracy and lack of health care institutions, are some of the problems that contribute to the human rights decadence.
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the Nobel Peace, was the major fighter against the Apartheid Regime that denies politic, social, and economic rights to the colored Community. Both Color and White Communities had different hospitals, different schools, different restaurants, even different toilets. As a consequence of his aims, Nelson Mandela faced the same cell for over 27 years. In the end he was successful and has created the foundation for the today’s community companionship in South Africa. With the support of several NGOs this balance is being sustained.
They find similarities, they start to accept their one differences, costumes and beliefs. For instance, the most amazing example of mutual cooperation in South Africa is sport. Transcending race, politics or language groups, sport unites the country, giving them self-confidence, making them believe.
by: António 12ºA
by: António 12ºA
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island in the Caribbean sea with 234 km from east to west, and 80 km from north to south. Its capital is Kingston.
Jamaica was discovered by Spain (Cristovão Colombo) in 1494. Colombo used it as his family's private property. The British conquered it in 1670.
During the first 200 years of British rule, Jamaica became the largest exporter of sugar, which was achieved through massive use of African slave labour.
In 1838 the slaves made a revolt and slavery was abolished.The head of state of Jamaica's Queen Isabel II of the United Kingdom.
Jamaica is divided into 14 parishes, which are grouped into 3 counties:
- Cornwall;
- Middlesex;
- Surrey.
Religion is very important in Jamaica but there is one very important religion that has its origins in Jamaica: spiritualism or rastafari.
Luxembourg...
Friday, 1 October 2010
Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. Luxembourg has a population of over half a million people in an area of approximately 2,586 square kilometer.
Luxembourg is a parliamentary representative democracy with a constitutional monarch; it is ruled by a Grand Duke. It is the world's only remaining sovereign Grand Duchy.
Luxembourg is a trilingual country; German, French and Luxembourgish are official languages
Luxembourg is a trilingual country; German, French and Luxembourgish are official languages
Hugo Queiros